Wire core back brush assembly



Jan. 10, 1967 5. w s 3,296,644

WIRE CORE BACK BRUSH ASSEMBLY Filed March 10, 1966 I NVENTOR J/OA/EY hvsacse 47 0 May .enough to impart a good scrubbing action.

United States Patent f 3,296,644 WIRE CORE BACK BRUSH ASSEMBLY Sidney Weisberg, Maplewood, N.J., assignor to Worthy Products Corp., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 10, 1966, Ser. No. 533,162 4 Claims. (Cl. 15--206) This invention relates to brushes and more particularly to a brush adapted to scrub the back and body of the user.

Brushes for cleaning the back and torso of bathers are well known and have been made in a wide variety of forms. A satisfactory back brush should be flexible enough to conform to the body of the user and rigid Previously known back brushes have been made of a wide variety of materials in which one of the prime considerations was the comfort of the user. In order to insure that the brush user not be injured by the brush, it has been necessary to make the brush of materials which were expensive and diflicult to fabricate.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a back brush which is inexpensive to manufacture and which will nevertheless perform satisfactorily in use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a back brush which will withstand substantial forces of pull and remain operative.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive back brush which will conform to the contours of the body.

A feature of the present invention is its use of a wire core brush in conjunction with a plastic or flexible handle member.

Another feature of the present invention is its use of a plurality of brushes separated by flexible strap members.

Still another feature of the present invention is its fastening structure whereby the brush elements and handle are secured together.

The invention consists broadly of two or more wire core brushes linked together by flexible plastic cords and having flexible plastic handle members secured to the outer ends thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, there is illustrated one form of embodiment of the invention, in which drawings similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a somewhat isometric view of a complete embodiment of the present invention with certain parts cut away to show the construction.

FIGURE 2 is a view in side elevation somewhat enlarged of one of the brush members shown in FIGURE 1, partly in section.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of a brush member made in accordance with the present invention, showing still another handle fastening construction.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGURE 1, indicates a back brush in which two wire core brushes 11, 12, are secured together by means of a flexible link 13. The link 13 may be a short length of flexible plastic material such as neoprene, nylon, polyethylene, or the like. A flexible handle 14 is secured at each outer end of the brushes 11, 12, and may be made of the same material as the link 13. Each handle 14 terminates in a loop 15 for the purpose of grasping and handling the brush.

The wire core brush 11 is an ideal brush for cleaning the torso except for the fact that in its usual form a short length of twisted wire 16 extends from each end of the brush. This short end of wire is most objection- 'ice able for personal bathing uses inasmuch as it has a tendency to scratch the skin. On the other hand, the wire brush is extremely inexpensive to manufacture, provides a radial bristle structure 17 which presents skin scrubbing surfaces at all orientations of the brush and the wire core is flexible yet rigid enough to impart a good brushing action. The problem of securing the flexible plastic members to the wire core 18 of the brushes 11, 12, presents further difficulties in that the user will impart considerable pull to the handles in the ordinary use of the brush.

In the present invention a small hollow conical member 19 has been provided for the purpose of securing the plastic link 13 to the ends of the wire core 18. As shown in FIGURE 2, the conical member 19 has an opening 20 in the end thereof to which the plastic link 13 is thrust. The opposite end of the conical member 19 is also provided with an opening 21 larger than the first opening 20, and adapted to receive the end of the wire core 18 and an anchoring pin 22.

In assembling the brush, the link 13 is first slipped through the opening 20 and the link and conical member 19 slipped over the end of the wire core 18. Thereafter, the pin 22 is driven into the conical member 19 and the entire assembly is secured together. The conical member 19 is preferably made of some resilient plastic material such as polyethylene, nylon, or the like and the pin 22 of steel or any other suitable metal. The cavity 23 within the conical member 19 is tapered in the direction of the small opening 20 so that pull upon the brushes 11, 12, jams the members within the cavity 23 and prevents them from coming apart.

The handles 14 are similarly secured to the outer ends of the wire core 18, and the ends of the handle 14 are led through a second pair of conical members 24, and doubled back upon themselves in the manner shown in FIGURE 1, so that the ends of the handles 14 are disposed within the cavities 25, of the conical members 24. Here again, a steel pin 22 is driven into the cavity 25 to secure the handles and form loops which cannot be pulled out.

While a brush assembly having two wire core brushes have been shown in FIGURE 1, it will be apparent that any number of brush members can be linked together to form a flexible brush assembly. The intermediate link 13 of flexible plastic material permits the bruhes 11, 12, to conform to the body of the user and to remain in close contact therewith as the brush is drawn back and forth across the skin surface.

In FIGURE 3 there is shown still another method of securing the plastic link and handle members to the wire core 18 of the 'brushes 11, 12. Plastic is wrapped around the end of the wire core 18 and the cavity 23 filled with a suitable cement such as an epoxy glue or the like. When the cement hardens the entire assembly will withstand substantial pulling without coming apart.

By making the conical members 19, 24, of plastic or some resilient material the danger of injury to the user by reason of the wire core 18 is eliminated. In addition, the conical members lend themselves to rapid and economical assembly when the brushes are being manufactured.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided an inexpensive back brush built around the well known wire core brush which nevertheless provides the utility and comfort of more complicated structures.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A back brush comprising a plurality of brush members each consisting of a twisted core and bristle members radially extending from the said core and secured thereto, said wire core extending axially outwardly be yond the bristles at each end of the said brush, a flexible link interconnecting adjacent brushes, a. first set of hollow conical members overlying each end of the wire core and the end of the adjacent flexible link, a securing means carried within the first set of hollow conical members in frictional engagement with the end of the core and the link whereby each core is secured to a link, a flexible handle member secured to each end of the linked together brushes, a second set of hollow conical members overlying each end of the wire core and the end of the adjacent handle member, a securing means carried Within the second set of hollow conical members in frictional engagement with the end of the core and the handles whereby the cores are secured to the handle members and a looped portion on the free end of each of the handle members.

2. A brush according to claim 1 in which the securing means comprises an elongated pin.

3. A brush according to claim 2 in which the looped portion comprises a doubled back length of the handle members and a third set of conical members to receive the two loop elements.

4. A brush according to claim 1 in which the securing means comprises a quantity of cement to fill the cavity around the elements carried therein.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,714,687 5/1929 McKaeg 15-222 2,318,680 5/1943 Ellinger l5-222 2,790,987 5/1957 Kirkpatrick 15-206 X 2,905,957 9/1959 Volpe 15222 X 3,063,081 11/1962 Brown l5222 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. P. FELDMAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BACK BRUSH COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF BRUSH MEMBERS EACH CONSISTING OF A TWISTED CORE AND BRISTLE MEMBERS RADIALLY EXTENDING FROM THE SAID CORE AND SECURED THERETO, SAID WIRE CORE EXTENDING AXIALLY OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE BRISTLES AT EACH END OF THE SAID BRUSH, A FLEXIBLE LINK INTERCONNECTING ADJACENT BRUSHES, A FIRST SET OF HOLLOW CONICAL MEMBERS OVERLYING EACH END OF THE WIRE CORE AND THE END OF THE ADJACENT FLEXIBLE LINK, A SECURING MEANS CARRIED WITHIN THE FIRST SET OF HOLLOW CONICAL MEMBERS IN FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE END OF THE CORE AND THE LINK WHEREBY EACH CORE IS SECURED TO A LINK, A FLEXIBLE HANDLE MEMBER SECURED TO EACH END OF THE LINKED TOGETHER BRUSHES, A SECOND SET OF HOLLOW CONICAL MEMBERS OVERLYING EACH END OF THE WIRE CORE AND THE END OF THE ADJACENT HANDLE MEMBER, A SECURING MEANS CARRIED WITHIN THE SECOND SET OF HOLLOW CONICAL MEMBERS IN FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE END OF THE CORE AND THE HANDLES WHEREBY THE CORES ARE SECURED TO THE HANDLE MEMBERS AND A LOOPED PORTION ON THE FREE END OF EACH OF THE HANDLE MEMBERS. 